1 Halo A21 or 2 Halo A23's?

lineberryw
lineberryw Posts: 17
in 2 Channel Audio
I have a Yamaha RX-A1010 preamp, Vr3 Fotress Plus crossovers in the Polk Rti-A9 towers, and a Emotiva XPA-2. Plan A the A21 gives me 250 watts a channel @ 8ohms. It cost roughly $1675 for a mint one. Plan B the A23 pair will give me 400 watts a channel with each bridged @ 8 ohms. Cost for a pair roughly $1500. What would you do and why?
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Comments

  • DaveHo
    DaveHo Posts: 3,525
    A21. Amps almost never sound as good bridged.
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  • ZLTFUL
    ZLTFUL Posts: 5,648
    Not to mention you need double the power to get a 3db increase in volume at any given level which is an audible difference.
    "Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."

    "Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip
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  • steveinaz
    steveinaz Posts: 19,538
    I asked this question of Parasound years ago regarding 2 HCA-1000's vs 1 HCA-1500. They recomended the latter for best sound quality due to the superior JFETS in the 1500.
    Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
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  • AsSiMiLaTeD
    AsSiMiLaTeD Posts: 11,726
    It's not just about power, the A21 is a better amp all around, I've owned both and it's a fairly obvious difference between the two
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  • Mikey081057
    Mikey081057 Posts: 7,127
    I have toyed with both setups and prefer the A21 to the bridged A23's. A21 is a great amp for the money. If your room is not that large a single A23 is nothing to sneeze at.
    My New Year's resolution is 3840 × 2160

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  • Emlyn
    Emlyn Posts: 4,489
    Another option is to get an HCA-1500 instead of the Halo amps. I think the older line is a better match for Polk's RTi speakers as mine is warmer sounding than the Halo series. Save a grand and put it toward something else.
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  • lineberryw
    lineberryw Posts: 17
    Thanks everyone for the input I ended up picking up a mint A21 just awaiting the shipping. Thanks too Emelyn I thought about your advice of going with the older line of Parasound just didn't like the looks. I know it's sad to say I paid a grand more than I should maybe and it could have went elsewhere. The is the last piece of audio gear I will get for a long time. Even though I'm sure most of you have said the same thing. At least it wasn't a spontaneous buy.
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